Perfect Crown Petition Passes 26,000 Signatures as Removal Demand Targets Historical Distortion Controversy

A Perfect Crown Petition calling for MBC’s drama to be removed has passed about 26,000 signatures after being filed on the National Assembly’s public petition board on May 22. The petition follows a historical-distortion controversy centered on the drama’s coronation scene and asks for the work to be disposed of or removed from platforms.¹

ChosunBiz, carrying OSEN, reported that the petition had reached about 26,000 signatures by 10 a.m. on May 24, equal to roughly 53% of the 50,000 signatures required within 30 days for referral to a parliamentary committee.¹ Allkpop reported that the petition will remain open until June 21 and needs 50,000 signatures to move to committee review.²

Perfect Crown Petition Centers on Episode 11 Coronation Scene

The petition is tied to criticism of episode 11, particularly a coronation sequence that drew objections over ceremonial language and royal-costume symbolism. Reports identified the disputed elements as including the chant Cheonse and the use of a nine-bead ceremonial crown.²

The petition also objected to the drama’s use of titles, ceremonial expressions, foreign cultural elements and royal-costume imagery.¹ The petitioner argued that the controversy had moved beyond ordinary viewer dissatisfaction and into questions about how historical and royal symbols were used in a fictional television setting.

A short quoted line from the National Assembly petition stated: “This drama should likewise be immediately disposed of.”¹ The wording reflects the petition’s core demand: cancellation, disposal or removal of Perfect Crown after the backlash.

The drama has been described in the reports as a fictional constitutional-monarchy story that adapts Joseon-era etiquette into a modern royal-family setting.³ Critics argued that the series misrepresented Joseon-era royal rituals, while the production team later acknowledged that it had not sufficiently considered historical details in its world-building.⁴

Production Team and Creators Issued Apologies

The petition followed a sequence of public apologies from the Perfect Crown side. ChosunBiz reported that the production team posted an apology on the drama’s official website on May 16, after criticism over the king wearing a guryu-myeonryugwan and officials shouting Cheonse in the scene.⁵

In that apology, the production team said, “We sincerely bow our heads and apologize.”⁵ The team also said it accepted criticism and promised to revise related audio and subtitles for rebroadcasts, VOD releases and OTT streaming services.⁵

Allkpop separately reported the production team’s statement that it took viewer criticism seriously.² Corrections for audio and subtitles across reruns, VOD and OTT platforms were also noted in reporting on the wider backlash.⁴

Writer Yoo Ji-won issued an apology on the Perfect Crown website on May 19, after the earlier production-team statement. Yoo acknowledged problems in research and verification while adapting Joseon etiquette into the drama’s fictional modern royal-family setting, saying, “I lacked thorough research and verification.”³

Director Park Joon-hwa also addressed the issue during a May 19 roundtable interview reported by Korea JoongAng Daily. Park characterized the disputed historical faults as a failure of imagination rather than intent and said the production approach had been too narrowly built around Joseon court customs.⁶

Korea JoongAng Daily also reported that lead actors IU and Byeon Woo-seok followed with apologies on May 18, after the production team’s written apology on May 16.⁶ The available source material does not provide additional details about the actors’ apology wording.

Regulator Context and Next Step for the Petition

The petition’s next procedural marker is the 50,000-signature threshold. If it reaches that number within 30 days, it can be referred to a parliamentary committee, based on the petition process described in the reports.¹ As of the May 24 count reported by ChosunBiz, the petition was a little over halfway to that threshold.¹

The controversy has also drawn regulator-related attention. Allkpop reported on May 19 that Korea’s media regulator was considering recovering support funds connected to Perfect Crown after the historical-distortion controversy.⁴ That report said the issue concerned public criticism that the fictional constitutional-monarchy drama had misrepresented Joseon-era royal rituals.⁴

The source material does not state that any final regulatory recovery decision has been made. It also does not state that MBC or any platform has removed the drama in response to the petition. The confirmed status is that the petition is open, the signature count had passed about 26,000 by the morning of May 24, and the production side has promised revisions to the disputed audio and subtitles.

Perfect Crown removal petition 26000 signatures historical distortion trend

The Perfect Crown Petition has become the clearest public measure of the backlash over the drama’s disputed historical imagery and language. Its impact will depend first on whether it reaches the 50,000-signature threshold by June 21, while the production team’s promised corrections and the regulator’s reported review remain part of the continuing fallout.